Reduced Libido Is a Major Factor in Decreased Erectile Function among Men with Mild COVID-19

Abstract

During the Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, among men infected with SARS-CoV-2, little attention has been given to reduced libido and its associations with decreased erectile function, even though there may be physical and psychological factors that contribute to the two. So the purpose of the study is to determine the correlation between decreased erectile function and reduced libido in SARS-CoV-2 infected people during the COVID-19 pandemic and to describe the associated clinical, psychic, and lifestyle parameters. We recruited 321 eligible men with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the urology clinic of our hospital. We used the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) module, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to independently evaluate the subjects, collect relevant data, and analyze the data. In this study, we show that both libido and erectile function were decreased after SARS-CoV-2 infection (p < 0.0001), and reduced libido was strongly correlated with decreased erectile function (p < 0.0001; odds ratio (OR) = 11.33). In addition, anxiety (OR = 2.41, CI = 1.13–5.23), (p < 0.05), symptomatic infection (OR = 3.293, CI = 1.11–11.48), (p < 0.05), and body mass index (OR = 0.88, CI = 0.83–0.92), (p < 0.05) were also associated with decreased erectile function. So, we think that during the COVID-19 pandemic, for erectile dysfunction patients who decreased erectile function after SARS-CoV-2 infection, we should not only pay attention to patients’ erectile function status but also to patients’ reduced libido status.